I Should've Kissed You
by Deany-Weanychester
Summary: Rick and Daryl spend some time at the beach with Shane, Lori, Maggie, and Glenn. Little does Rick know, Daryl has a crush on him. Just some teenager AU Daryl/Rick fluff. ((Rated T for swearing.))
1. Darlin'

An obnoxiously loud vibrating noise caused Daryl to awaken with a miserable groan. He scowled at the red numbers on his alarm clock that read 8:23. Who the hell was calling him at such an ungodly hour? He turned his attention down to the useless piece of technology, ready to tell whoever it was to fuck off. That was, until he saw just exactly who was calling him.

The boy scrambled to reach his phone and opened it quickly.

"Why if it ain't Rick Grimes," he drawled out. "What's up, darlin'?" He could practically see the other boy's cheeks turning a bright pink. The first time Daryl had called the other boy by the nickname, it had been an honest accident. He had felt incredibly stupid and wanted to slap himself, until he saw Rick's very flustered face and the way he shuffled his feet. Let's just say Daryl very much enjoyed being the cause of his friend's blushing and promised himself to keep calling him names every chance he could get.

Alright, so Daryl had a bit of a crush on his friend, no big deal. It's not as if Rick felt the same anyway, with that Lori girl all up in his space.

"H-Hi, Daryl. I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to come to the beach today," the boy on the other end of the line faltered.

Daryl immediately perked up with interest. Just him and Rick alone.

"With Shane, Maggie, Glenn, and Lori, of course," he continued, interrupting the older teen's thoughts.

Crap. He should've expected that he wouldn't have Rick all to himself. Glenn and Maggie were nice enough, but Shane and Lori? The two really got on his nerves, to say the least. Unfortunately, he knew it was inevitable that Rick and Lori would eventually hook up.

Shaking his head to clear it, he decided not to pass up an opportunity to see his friend. Half naked, might he add.

"Yeah, sure. Maybe we oughta bury Shane in the sand an' 'accidentally forget abou' him'," he suggested with a smirk. Rick couldn't help but laugh softly.

"I'll pick you up in an hour. Don't you dare make me wait up for you because you can't get out of bed," he threatened jokingly.

"Wouldn't dream of it, darlin'." With a click, Daryl reluctantly rolled out of the comfortable bed and set off to take a shower.

It must've been Daryl's lucky day. His father was still asleep and Merle was nowhere to be found. Grinning, he slipped on a random t-shirt and quickly packed his bag for the day ahead.

Just as he was slipping on some shoes, he heard a familiar honking noise from the driveway. He couldn't fight back the smile that crept onto his face. Grabbing his bag and sprinting down the stairs, he didn't even bother to leave a note for his family.

He closed the door behind him gently and strolled towards Rick's car. To his absolute delight, nobody else occupied the space in the car besides the other boy.

Clambering into the passenger seat eagerly, he dumped his bag on the floor unceremoniously. Daryl turned to his friend who met him with a smile.

Rick Grimes was a massive dork. There was no doubt about that. He was a pretty attractive dork, though, if Daryl had anything to say about the matter. His dark wavy hair looked silky smooth and he ached to card his fingers through the flawless strands. Rick's ice blue eyes were always kind and his lips were plump, not to mention a beautiful shade of pink. He was dressed in a faded gray shirt with a black swimming suit and sandals.

Motioning towards the back of the vehicle Daryl asked, "Where's the rest of the crew?" He obviously didn't want to know, or even care. As long as they weren't there.

"Shane and Lori are riding together. Same with Maggie and Glenn. We're gonna meet 'em there," Rick responded, eyes on the road as they set off.

Daryl just nodded contently and attempted to busy himself with looking out the window. That didn't last too long, however, not when the object of his affections was sitting right next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Rick, hoping that he wouldn't notice.

The younger teen was tapping his fingers rhythmically to the beat of the song currently on the radio, one that Daryl didn't know. As they drove along in silence, he continued to stare at Rick, shifting his body a bit to get a better view. The boy was always so carefree and happy, and Daryl had to admit that his mood was contagious.

While the next song started up, Rick glanced at his friend for a moment, not expecting to meet a pair of eyes staring intently back at him. Daryl's breath hitched as he turned his head the other way, a bit of a burning sensation tingling in his cheeks. It seemed he wasn't the only one a shade pinker. He smirked, trying hard to keep his eyes off of the other boy for the rest of the ride. He wasn't very successful.


	2. Not Very Subtle After All

As they pulled into a parking space, Daryl tried to keep the grimace off his face as he spotted Shane and Lori sitting in the back of a trashy truck. Both boys jumped out of the car, making their way towards the truck.

Lori waved to them happily, no doubt excited to see Rick more than anything else. Grimes returned the gesture with glee as they reached the vehicle.

"Hey, nerd," Shane greeted and hooked an arm around Rick's neck, pulling him close before grinding his fist onto the smaller boy's head. His struggles were useless, he was unable to get free until Shane finally released him. After letting go of Rick, the asshole simply nodded at Daryl. He just grumbled in response as he looked the other way.

"So, we still waiting for Maggie and Glenn? I don't see 'em anywhere," Rick questioned, surveying his surroundings.

"Nah, they went to go get a spot. Too tired of waiting for y'all," Shane replied, hopping off the back of his truck before offering his hand to Lori to help her down. The girl's cheeks became a bit flustered as she accepted the hand. This was enough to make Daryl absolutely giddy. Maybe she didn't like Rick after all.

After locking up the truck, Shane looped his arm around Rick's shoulders and walked with him. The douche had the decency to smirk back at Daryl, shooting him a challenging glare. Shane was always competing with Daryl, trying to be the better friend towards Rick. Daryl had is doubts about that strategy working, however. The smaller boy always seemed a bit uncomfortable being close to the giant that is Shane. Rick sometimes looks as though he expects his "best friend" to punch him right in the face. The thought of it made Daryl's stomach churn and he made a face of discontent.

"Something wrong, Daryl?" Lori eyed him cautiously.

"Nah, nothin' at all," he responded to the nosy girl. She just nodded and kept looking forward, as if admiring Shane.

Meanwhile, Rick had spotted Glenn and Maggie sitting on a blanket nearby, making out unashamedly. Shane ruined the moment by letting out a loud catcall. The two lovebirds broke apart, looking a bit embarrassed. Daryl wasted no time in casually sliding down beside them to sit on the blanket.

Glenn cleared his throat before scooting closer towards Daryl.

"Hey, dude! What's up?" The Asian boy was trying his best to strike up a conversation while taking the attention off of himself. Daryl tried his hardest not to be annoyed, he knew Glenn meant well, he just wasn't a very social kind of guy.

"Nothin' much. Just kinda sittin' here, as ya can see," he attempted to joke in a gruff voice. The other boy just let out a snort and shrugged before turning to look at the others.

"Shane's pretty close with Rick, eh? I bet you wish you were the one with your arm around him," he whispered, making sure nobody else heard. Daryl choked on his own spit, going into a coughing fit. Unfortunately, everyone noticed.

"Hey, Daryl, you okay," Rick asked, his voice laced with concern. After recovering from his sudden outburst, he nodded.

"Jus' swallowed down the wron' pipe is all," he rasped. Rick seemed to accept his answer as he made his way over to a small blue cooler, grabbing a bottle of water. Glenn was trying to cover up his giggles with the back of his hand, but small snorts could still be heard.

"I guess you weren't expecting me to say that, huh?" Daryl squinted at him momentarily.

"How in th' hell did ya know abou' that," he growled through clenched teeth. The Asian boy had to cover up a little more laughter before finally being able to reply.

"It's pretty obvious, y'know. To everyone except Rick, though." Daryl rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Was it seriously that noticeable?

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell him or anything. I'll leave that part up to you," Glenn mused and graced the other boy with a wink before making his way towards Maggie. Daryl nervously let out a breathe he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He didn't really mind Glenn knowing, he was nice enough. If Shane or Lori knew, however, he was positive that would not fly well with them. He sighed deeply and stretched out his legs before bouncing up onto his feet.

"I've had enough of waiting! Come on, we're all going swimming right now," Glenn declared before clutching Maggie's hand and dragging her down towards the water. Shane and Lori followed close behind as Rick effortlessly lifted his shirt and tossed it aside. Daryl followed, a little self-conscious about his scars, even though Rick had already seen them countless times before.

"C'mon," Rick encouraged before grabbing hold of Daryl's wrist. He had no choice but to smile and let the other boy lead him towards the crashing waves.


End file.
